WW2
BATTLEFIELD TOURS

TOUR OPERATORS OPERATING TOURS TO WW2
BATTLEFIELDS

While it is now easy to visit the battlefields in Europe yourself (for
example by using the Battlefield Tourism pages on this site), especially places
like Arnhem, Bastogne and Normandy, there is nothing like seeing them for the
first time in the company of an expert guide. Here I have listed some of the
leading tour companies which offer tours to WW2 sites, and while I occasionally work for some
of them myself, I have tried to include details of as many as I could find via
the Internet. Which I hope means I won't be accused of any bias! Most companies
start their tours in the UK or USA, but a few operate out of the battlefields
themselves, and again I have included details of them as well.

Tour operators are listed in alphabetical order, and not in any order of
preference!

PLEASE NOTE - I do not stock leaflets for these
companies. In all cases contact them direct for information on their
tours.

One of the oldest battlefield tour companies, Holts was started by Major and
Mrs Holt in the 1970s. While they no longer have any connection with the
company, specialist guides accompany every coach, many of them former senior
ex-military . They have an extensive portfolio of WW2 tours, including Arnhem,
Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, and further afield to the Western Desert and
Burma.
Email: info@holts.com

Now one of the leading battlefield tour operators, with more than 10,000
people traveling in 2010, Leger offer a wide range of WW2 tours. The 4 Day
Normandy looks at the landing beaches and airborne operations, while the 5 day
tour also examines some of the inland battles as well. Other tours include
Arnhem, the Atlantic Wall bunkers, Battle of the Bulge, Itally and Dam Busters and
Colditz. New for 2011 is Walking D Day. Specialist battlefield guides accompany every tour.
Email: enquires@leger.co.uk

War-history 1944 specialises in Battlefield tours of Normandy, The River
Seine and Arnhem/Nijmegen/Eindhoven and the Ardennes/Bulge. It is headed by a
well-known American author whose book on the Normandy Battlefields is a standard
work in the United States, and a retired regular soldier ( Exeter University,
Balliol and the Staff College Camberley ).
Email: tours@warhistory1944.co.uk

Founded by Alex Bulloch the company is a registered charity and works closely
with ex-servicemen's associations, and its personnel are largely former
policeman or servicemen. It offers a range of WW2 tours. Cemetery visits a
speciality.
Email: info@battlefieldtours.org.uk

Based in Birmingham, Ian Alexander's company offers a wide range of WW2 tours
including Arnhem, Berlin, The Bulge, Dunkirk, Normandy and the Italian
battlefields. Further afield, they also offer tours to Singapore and Burma. Most
of their guides are former police officers.
Email: Battlefield Tours and The War Research Society

SMALLER BATTLEFIELD TOUR
SPECIALISTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

These smaller operators generally supply
specialised and tailor-made tours in MPVs or similar vehicles. In all cases
contact them direct for details.

An American tour company offering personally conducted tours for American
veterans and their families to the invasion beaches of Normandy and Battle of
the Bulge battlefields. Full details of 2003 departures on website soon.
Email: info.europe@gomilspec.com

Owned and run by former soldier Iain McHenry, the company offers tailor-made
tours to WW2 sites in Belgium, and especially the Battle of the Bulge
battlefields around Bastogne in the Ardennes. Air port pick-up in Belgium
possible. One off visits to war cemeteries in Belgium also possible.
Email: tours@trenchmaptours.com

As far as I am aware, this is the only company offering on-site tours of some
of the WW2 Italian battlefields. Organised and led by military history
enthusiast Costantino Sestini, at the moment they cover the Gothic Line
battlefields reachable from the Florence area. Accommodation for this sector is
also on offer.
Email: costantinosestini@hotmail.com

BATTLEFIELD TOURS IN NORMANDY

All these companies offer on-site tours in the Normandy battlefields area.

Paul Woodadge formed the well known Battlebus
Tours in Normandy, which he closed last winter to return to solo guiding.
Paul's knowledge of the Normandy battlefields is impressive and he is a guide in
high demand, but highly recommended.

This is a special bus route that departs from Caen railway station every day
at 09.30 and returns there at 18.15. En-route it visits: Courseulles,
Arromanches, US Cemetery Omaha Beach, and Pointe du Hoc; it then returns via the
same route. The service operates from 1st July to 4th September only. No guide.

Daily tours starts from Bayeux close to Tourist Office and upon request
other pick up locations are available. Two main tours available. In the morning
a tour of the British sector leaves at 08.30 and returns for 12.00. In the
afternoon there is a longer tour of the main American beaches and sectors;
departing Bayeux at 12.50pm. It is possible to combine both tours for a full
day. Reservation advised.

A Bayeux based taxi firm which offers visits to and small tours of the main D
Day sights. Price depends on location and the amount of time spent there.
Commentary in English. 50% surcharge for Sundays and Public Holidays. Each taxi
holds up to 7 people. Reservation is recommended, especially during the main
Summer season.

Picking up at Bayeux Railway station every day, at 08.30 for the morning tour
and 13.00 for the afternoon tour. The tour lasts from 4-5 hours and includes:
Gold Beach, Longues Battery, Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc. Tour price includes
entrance to museums. Guide is French, but speaks English.

Based in Normandy and the Champagne, this company offers tours to the Normandy
Battlefields of WW2 and the war museums and battlefields where the
"American Expeditionary Force" in 1917/18 fought. Day tours and
longer packages available. Guide is French, but speaks very good English.

Picking up in the car park behind the Tourist Office (Pont Saint Jean) the
half-day tour visits British War Cemetery Bayeux, Longues Battery, Port en
Bessin, Omaha Beach, US Way Cemetery and Pointe du Hoc. There is also a full day
tour which visits Utah Beach and St Mere Eglise. Lunch is not included. Guide is
Dutch, but speaks fluent English. The company also has B&B available at
Chateau de Lignerolles, 8 miles from Bayeux.

Kleve WWII Tours is offering you
three different guided tours around the battlefields in the Kleve (Reichswald)
area, Arnhem and Nijmegen. The majority of the tours are day tours, but
arrangements can be made if you want to take a shorter tour. We also offer you
full historical narration as we travel from one site to another. All our tours
are designed for people who want to know what happened and why it happened and a
great deal of time is spent in discussion on site. The group sizes are also
limited to a maximum of 8 people, which means that we really can take the very
best care of you and make your tour experience a memory for life. You could say
that our philosophy is: Small groups = Very personal!